South Bay Civic Light Opera on Its Last Legs

My husband and I have enjoyed many of the musical productions of the South Bay Civic Light Opera at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center, but after the Civic Light Opera was sued for over $200,000 in back rent, it appears that the end may be near for this award winning institution.

El Segundo Unified School District Superintendent Geoff Yantz confirmed that negotiations were nearly finalized and the light opera company was tentatively set to stage its first production – “CSI Bethlehem” – at the El Segundo Performing Arts Center, dubbed the El Segundo Playhouse, on Dec. 15. Recent productions have been held in Hermosa Beach. The Light Opera has also been negotiating with the Centinela School District about staging the company’s plays in the Centinela Valley Center for the Arts, a 1,200-seat, six-story facility that opened in May. Redondo Beach officials, however, are demanding an environmental impact report be prepared examining potential increases in traffic through Redondo to the new facility just across the border from Redondo Beach in Lawndale.

Above is a picture of the potential new home in Lawndale for the South Bay Civic Light Opera

Season ticket subscribers who have been billed or have paid for the upcoming planned 2012 season tickets may be left hanging. In addition, the Civic Light Opera has also borrowed thousands of dollars from supporters of the Light Opera offering high interest rates for a certificate account. The lawsuit filed by the City of Redondo Beach for unpaid rent may trigger a bankruptcy filing of the Civic Light Opera leaving many supporters out in the cold.